Introducing Dog & Baby

**Introducing My Dog to My Newborn Baby**

For the longest time my dog was my baby! She followed me everywhere and we did everything together. Once I got pregnant I was extremely worried how my dog would handle the change. With each passing month and my belly getting bigger and bigger I could tell that my dog knew what was going on. Zayla would put her head on my belly and could feel my daughter kick and it always looked like she was excited when she felt a movement. Zayla got more protective of me and was constantly by my side, like she was defending what hadn't even come into this world yet. In this sense I knew that zayla would be an amazing dog to my newborn but I still had my worries. For one, zayla is a pitbull... dun dun dun!!! I know this topic is very controversial and can be extremely touchy. Even as a pitbull owner I was still nervous, even if I owned a cute small fluffy dog I would take precaution. I researched and researched on the best way to introduce your dog to your new baby and how to take the right steps. Well, zayla is lets say complicated lol. Have you ever seen Marley & Me? Thats my dog all the way!! I got a Marley dog and I wouldn't have it any other way :). 

At nights I would hold onto Zayla really tight and kiss you as many times as I could because I knew once my daughter got here that these moments wouldn't come as often. Then the big day came, I was in full labor and about to bring my other baby into this world. Zayla went to stay with my mom for the days I was in the hospital and my husband gave my mom some of things that my daughter was either wearing or wrapped in. Needless to say when my mom had Zayla smell the items she could of gave two shits about the smell and went on about her day. My mom tied the blanket (loosely) around Zayla's neck like she was wearing a cape and had all her beanies laying around her and still Zayla didn't pay no mind to it. So instantly I was worried, if she wasn't caring to get use to the smell how will she react when the smell is now in her home and what she knows as her territory? The day came when I finally brought my daughter home, I had her laying in her crib when my husband brought Zayla through the door... and my fear kicked in. Zayla ran around the place like she normally does and came into the babies room, walked in and walked right back out. I was so relieved that she didn't mind until my daughter started crying. Then I noticed that Zayla didn't even know there was a baby in the room until she heard the sound and my dog went nutso!!! She was jumping up on the crib and freaking out, and I didn't know what to do! My husband picked up the baby and this made my dog timid and she didn't like that at all! So we put the baby back down and just let Zayla listen to her crying for a minute. The first night was rough, I put Zayla in her kennel and she stayed there until I was ready to let her out. The next day she acted like her and my daughter were best friends. It's like she knew that this was her new life and she had to get use to it. She started laying down next to wherever my daughter was sleeping and always seemed protective when she cried. As the weeks went by it was nothing but face licks and instant love between the two. I couldn't be even more happy with the outcome. So if you are introducing your dog to your new born I would suggest doing it how you know your dog will respond to it. My dog could of cared less about smelling her items so maybe it will work for you! However, we never scolded her for going in the nursery and we always talk nice when the two are together so my dog feels comfortable. I can't wait til my daughter is old enough to play and roll around with my dog, with me still supervising of course :)

2 months postpartum (without breastfeeding)

2 Months Postpartum

It's been 2 months since I have given birth to my beautiful baby girl and I am really happy with the way my body has turned out after pregnancy. To give you an idea I was 140 pound's pre pregnancy at 5'7". In the end I totaled a whole 185 pounds!! I gained 45 pounds throughout my entire pregnancy and to be honest it didn't look like I had gained that much due to having a longer torso. :) After she was here I'm not quite sure what my weight dropped down to, however, I got a uterus infection one week postpartum and when I went to my doctor and she weighed me I was 170. I had lost 15 pounds within the first week. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to breastfeed (which I will explain why in another post) so I didn't get the help of burning those extra calories. I am now 160 lbs, losing 25 pounds all together. I still have another 15-20 pounds to lose which will come with time. I haven't been working out but I have been making home made meals and not eating out. My husband works on the oil rigs so I am home alone running the baby around, working full time and doing what all needs to be done by myself. So it helps that I am very busy and productive. I did go back to work after 6 weeks because I was so stir crazy sitting at home, but getting to come home to my baby after a long day is the most rewarding feeling! 

 I have ordered a waist training corset that should be here soon so I will be starting to waist train to get my body back to where it use to be. I am thinking about to doing a follow my journey type thing with the waist training to see if it really makes a difference.. eeeeeeeekkkkkk I am sooo excited!! Other than my weight my body healed wonderfully after delivery. Although, It did help that I was extremely busy from day 1 after being discharged from the hospital. My mom was getting married 4 days after my daughter was born and I was the maid of honor!! I was running around and doing alot more than I should of. But in the end It made my recovery alot faster. I stopped bleeding after 8 days and my lady parts stopped being sore 1 week postpartum. I am really grateful for having such a fast recovery, I hear horror stories about girls who are down in bed for extreme backpain, headaches and overall just being drained and sore. It takes a toll on our mind and bodies having a baby and I give mad props to every woman who has had a baby. It's alot of work and they call it labor for a reason! Just keep your head up and think postive. You just had a baby, it took you 9 months to gain all that weight and it will take time to get that weight off. Either way you are beautiful for being able to create that wonderful baby! Give yourself some credit and eat that bowl of ice cream if you want to, you deserve it :) 

Thanks Halls... Just What I Needed

I never thought I would get advice from a cough drop... but here we are!

Lot's of shit has happened over the course of the past few weeks and today has topped the cake. From having a sick baby, bills due, husband leaving out of town and having a pain in the ass boss... well I've just about had enough. Then BAM! I woke up today with a sore throat and a nasty cough. Went and grabbed some halls cough drops and I wasn't disappointed. Honestly, I never really look at the cough drop while I'm unwrapping it but for some reason I felt compelled to look at this one. "Keep your chin up" is what I read, and I thought, is this a sign? Signs come in all forms and mine just so happened to be wrapped up in my pocket. When the hell did halls start becoming therapists? I somehow feel like I should write halls and tell them thank you for lifting my spirits after such a crappy few weeks. 4 little words had brighten my day and now I'm kind of happy that I don't feel good. Who would of thought... thanks for the cold!

Do you have a scratchy throat or a cough that won’t quit? Want something sugar free? Need something to boost your immune system?  http://www.gethalls.com/products.aspx

Getting pregnant with Endometriosis

Endometriosis - Endometriosis is a female health disorder that occurs when cells from the lining of the womb (uterus) grow in other areas of the body. This can lead to pain, irregular bleeding, and problems getting pregnant (infertility)

^^ Story of my life!!

Let me just say to any woman out there that suffers with this horrible disease that I commend you! Endometriosis has put so many things in my life on hold and one of those was the ability to get pregnant. It's almost every woman's dream to grow up, be successful, get married and create a family. For some, this dream gets put to the side.. and not by choice. As far as I can remember my periods had always been painful! I would curl up in a ball and cry my eyes out until that week was over and then it was the same thing the next cycle. I couldn't understand why it hurt so bad. I knew cramps were normal but this pain was way beyond anything I had ever felt. When I was 21 I had enough of this pain and finally wanted some answers. I went doctor to doctor and nobody could figure out what was going on. I had doctors tell me that it was my colon causing pain, my appendix may need to come out, or I could just be having really bad menstrual cramps. I knew I wasn't crazy, I felt deep down in my burning uterus that something was wrong! Finally after doing much research I decided to reach out to a gynecologist to see if I had something going on with my ovaries because I had history of ovarian cysts. I had my appointment and he tells me that this sounds like a case of endometriosis. Now, I had no idea what that ment or what it was but that word freaked me out. He explained what it was and that the only way to find out if I had a case of it was to do a laparoscopy. Another word that scared the shit out of me. So I said what the hell, schedule the surgery and lets see what happens, thinking to myself that this was another miss and I would be left not knowing what this pain really was. I remember it like it was yesterday. January 17th 2012 at 7AM I was going in to get cut open and a little camera was going to determine what I dreaded. I got wheeled back and the last thing I remember was the doctor saying "lets pray for a beautiful outcome". I woke up shortly after in severe pain. My belly hurt, my back hurt, and my collar bones hurt (due to the gas that they have to put in for your belly to expand so the camera can see better). I was sitting there in pain anxiously waiting the news. My husband and dad came through the door with worried looks on their faces and right then I knew my life was forever changed. The doctor came in and showed us that the endometriosis had completely taken over my right ovary as well as the whole underside of my uterus. What does this mean? Does it come back? Do I need to live life differently? these were the questions flowing through my mind. I was so scared, lost and confused. I couldn't believe that I had something that every woman fears. I felt strong and confident that I could be fine living with this until he said "unfortunately, this causes infertility" I could feel the tears hiding behind my eyes, with anger in my heart I had no idea what to do or say. I never really thought about kids, I was only 21, my life was just starting. Right then I was so afraid my husband might leave me if I wasn't able to give him a family. I had something taken from me that I didn't even know that I wanted. Well, I didn't put much thought into trying for a family, I just went about my normal days. My period after the surgery was amazing... for about a year. Then the pain was right back and I was FURIOUS! My doctor had a guess that it would come back in 4-5 years. I went and say my gynecologist and she gave me 3 choices. Do another surgery, try and get pregnant now, or get a hysterectomy. WOW, here I am 22 years old and I am faced with a decision I never thought I would have to make on impulse. Me and my husband talked about it and we decided that we loved each other and we would make it work if we tried for a baby right now. So we tried and tried and every month was another let down. I was afraid that if we went on for to long with no success that I would forced to having another surgery. I was so upset, I knew I was never going to get what I really wanted. 6 months turned into a year and I lost hope. I went to my doctor and told her I couldn't do it and maybe surgery is whats best. Then november 2013 I noticed I was late... I had one pregnancy test left and I thought what the hell lets just see. I peed on the stick and walked away, actually forgetting that I took the test I started doing chores around the home. After about an hour I remembered the news of my future was sitting in the bathroom. I walked up to the stick and took a deep breath... there was a beautiful + sign, immediately I cried. I was so excited, scared and happy. I couldn't wait to share the news with my husband. I handed him the stick because I was speechless and he was soooo excited. After all that time I finally got what we wanted. Now, my biggest concern was a miscarriage. I didn't care if I was on bed rest and ended up with a c-section, as long as I was able to carry this baby to full term. Well 1 month turned into 2 and 2 turned into 9! I carried my beautiful baby for 39 weeks with no complications. There is light at the end of the tunnel for most. This is a horrible thing to have to live with and unfortunately my endometriosis is right back. But for those 9 months I was the most grateful human being alive. The battle begins again...

Postpartum Depression.. is this normal?

Having a baby is the most rewarding moment in any woman's life, but with joy can also come sadness and it calls itself Postpartum Depression. Have you ever been on a diet and you were doing so good and then somebody offers you a donut and eat it with a smile on your face and then immediately after you feel horrible? Postpartum is kind of like that. You create and carry this amazing little human and with every power in your body you deliver your beautiful baby and everything is perfect, but you feel don't feel that way. It could be numerous of things, your baby is no longer inside of your belly and is exposed to everybody instead of only you. It could be because your body feels so out of place and your womanly figure is out of whack. Or it could simply be because you feel your partner is focusing more on the new baby than you. Whatever it may be don't worry it's normal and your not sick or wrong for having these feelings. I can say that because I went through the same experience and let me just say, that it does get better. Once my daughter was born I was overwhelmed with excitement as well as fear. I was worried that I may not be able to offer everything that she may need and I was always told that I was the selfish and independent type. I knew that right then my life would be completely different and I didn't know how to handle it. I found myself looking at my baby that I loved so much and would just cry, for no reason. The loss of sleep, the pain your body is in, and the constant need your baby needs was so new to me and all I wanted to do was lock myself in an empty room. This feeling started as soon as I brought my baby girl home from the hospital, when it was just me,  her and my husband. Everything felt so lost around me, I couldn't even brush my teeth without hearing her cry in the other room. I felt as if I were doing something wrong, like I was a horrible mother. But now I realize that babies are just going to cry, even if they have been fed, changed and bathed. It took almost 6 weeks for me to get the groove of the new routine and to finally get my happy self back and enjoy the amazing baby that I brought into this world. Looking back at that time where the depression hit me the worst makes me extremely upset to think about. I can't believe I looked at my baby in any other way but with pure love and joy. It happens and it's soooo normal, don't ever feel like your alone because it happens to even the most put together person. If there is any advice that I could offer to help you once your baby comes along or if your going through it now is to keep busy. As if a baby doesn't keep you busy enough!! Do things that you love to do, read a book while he/she is asleep, go on a walk with he/she in the stroller, or take the baby out with your husband and enjoy a dinner. Yes!! I said go out to dinner. I was so scared to take my newborn out with a fear that she would just cry and I would keep the bad mom looks. Well, I didn't! And I'm so happy I did it because having a baby doesn't mean you don't deserve to treat yourself, after all, you are the one who put in all the hard work to deliver your baby. Have your parents or a good friend or relative watch your baby while you go do something. Your not awful if you need a break, and chances are that your friends and family are more than excited to watch the little one. Keep your head up and know things WILL get better.

Giving Birth (Better than I expected)

Birth, for most that word is beyond the most terrifying word in the English language, at least for me it was. It's true when they say you can't scare a pregnant woman because delivering a child into this world ain't got nothing on what you could do or say to her. This was me, being truly excited about being pregnant once I saw the positive sign on that stick and then the range of emotions kicked in and I needed guidance and some sort of advice to help me feel better. Well, if you've even been pregnant woman are compelled to tell you their horrible labor stories. "I was in labor for 36 hours and ended up having a C-section" "The epidural only numbed part of my body and I could feel everything else" "I pooped all over the doctor while pushing" blah blah blah. Ladies, you know what I'm talking about! We have all been there, researching over and over and trying to be as prepared as possible when that amazing day came when your child would finally be in your arms. Shout out to my first time moms because I know what your going through is scary and you don't know what to expect. I'm here to give a little relief and share my experience as a first time mom, enjoy :)

My last OB/GYN  visit my doctor checked me (38 weeks) and I was not dilated but was 70% effaced. Effaced? what the hell does that mean? My first thought was, I'm going to be pregnant til I'm like 45 weeks pregnant!! I went home and told my husband what the doctor said and he told me that that baby will be here when she is good and ready, which didn't help because I was way over good and ready for her to be here. July 29th was any other day to me, I was 39 weeks pregnant and like any other woman at 9 months was praying for this baby to finally come. I had been experiencing heavier discharge for about a week, roughly when my doctor had checked me last but I didn't see it as a concern. The morning of the 29th I noticed the discharge was a bit heavier and was praying I would experience my "Bloody Show" but I never did. I went to work and worked a full day and as I got home I noticed my panties had been more soaked than normal. Concerned, my husband called the doctor and they advised us to just come get checked. At this point I told him that we didn't need to go, I'm fine and I don't want to waste my night getting my hopes up. I gave in and half ass packed the diaper bag and threw random stuff in the hospital bag, knowing I would be coming right back home. We drove to the hospital around 5PM where they stuck me in triage and took a vaginal sample from me and told me this would be determining if I would be staying or leaving. Let me just say that the minutes felt like hours waiting for these results, I've never been so nervous in my life!! Then the nurse pulled the curtain back and said "Are you ready to have this baby?". I was in shock, and instantly felt the emotions of happy, sad, confused, and extremely scared. All the scary stories I heard were about to come true. I was wheeled into a delivery room and they instantly started me on pitocin at 7PM. At this point I was 1 1/5 CM dilated and still 70% effaced. My husband made sure I was comfortable and had everything I needed so that he could leave and drop our dog off at my moms and bring some last minute things that I had carelessly forgot to pack. As I was laying there in the hospital bed around 9PM my water broke! And let me just tell you that it's not that bad, I heard a pop sound and then a gush of water, nothing disgusting and the nurse was so sweet when she came to help me clean it up. After my water popped they upped my pitocin and the contractions really started to come on. I called my husband and told him I needed him immediately before they got extremely intense and I didn't want to experience this on my own. 10 minutes later my husband burst through the door and was by my side with anything that I needed. Well, I'm not going to sugarcoat this part, the contractions hurt like a motherfucker! This could be because I was on a high dose of pitocin and my contractions were literally on top of eachother, I didn't even have to time to catch my breath before another one hit. By 11:00 PM my mom showed up because I was having her in the room when I delivered and by then I was in alot of pain. However, I never screamed or gave out a loud cry, It was like I knew I did this to myself and that I had to deal with the consequence. It didn't help that the lady in the room next to me was delivering and she was screaming bloody murder!! She had me and my entire family on edge. By midnight my body was shaking uncontrollably and I yelled at my husband "get me the drugs". Immediately he went out and told the nurse I was ready for that epidural. Now I remember hearing that it could take the doctor hours before he would come in and give you your epidural so I knew I would be waiting. Not even ten minutes later that beautiful man walked in and I swear I could hear angels sing, I never been more  happy in my life! He had me sit down and the end of the bed, hunched over, my husband holding one hand and the nurse holding the other. This by far was the easiest part of labor, it took 2 minutes to get that bad boy and almost immediately I felt relief. They checked me again and I was 4 CM dilated. Then they put my catheter in and that was the most uncomfortable part for me, once she inserted it in I swear I could feel the pressure of the catheter and I did not like it. But I had enough relief that I was able to fall asleep. 4AM came and I had this weird feeling like I should be checked, I asked the nurse if she would check me and she said are you sure? we checked you a bit ago and you were only at a 4. I said yes please and as soon as she pulled the blankets down there was blood and I was dilated to a 10!!! She immediately went to get my doctor and he came in and said "ready to push?". Was I ready? I waited 9 months to meet her and this is it, it's finally happening. They prepared the room and I did a few practice pushes and it went great. I pushed like I was an expert. It comes so natural and it's like you know exactly what to do and how to do it. I didn't even need the nurse to tell me when to push and for how long, I could do it all by myself. I pushed and pushed and my daughter was coming out sideways so I was having a bit of trouble getting her down the canal. I heard the doctor say we need to get this baby out now and at that moment I knew I was getting what I feared most, C-Section. I pushed like a crazy maniac and told myself I can do this, I don't need a c-section. I pushed for 2 hours at this point and you could barely see her head. My epidural wore off and they stopped the medicine so that I could feel me pushing, which helped me a lot. By 6:00AM my doctor called in for another doctor and I ended up needing forceps to help me get her out. Now, this scared the shit out of me! But lo and behold they used those amazing tools and I had my daughter out after three pushes. Delivered at 7:15AM 8lbs 1oz and 21.5 inches long! No wonder why it took so long, she was huge! My poor vagina is all I thought until she landed on my chest and she was beautiful! No markings or bruises from the forceps and her head was perfectly round. They did have to cut me to help get her out but it was worth it. My experience as a first time mom did have it's scary moments but it went fast and not as painful as I had anticipated. What I'm trying to say is every delivery is different and you never know how things could end up. Even though you're scared, it is the biggest accomplishment feeling that anyone could ever feel. Every time I look at my daughter I think wow, I can't believe I did that. And you will too :)

Does He Even Notice....?

Let me start this off by saying that I just recently got married this summer, june in fact! So yes I am still a newlywed and yes my husband already thinks I'm crazy, uhh ohhh! Let's rewind two years ago when I first met my now husband, it was september of 2011 and me and a friend were driving around downtown lost as all hell looking for the damn hilton hotel (No we aren't those kind of girls, geez!) to meet a friend who had come into town. On our lost journey to find this hotel I heard a voice yell OH MY GOD! (Riding in the passenger seat) I turn my head to the left and I notice what appeared to be a downtown bum running after my friends car, my friend looked in her rear view mirror and yelled He's Coming! and to my surprise there he was next to my window scaring the shit out of me and asking for my phone number!! Well I gave the bum my number and then pondered why the hell I did it when my phone rang... on the other end I hear a man saying "I apologize but I forgot to get your name" when I told him my name was "ashely" he went silent.... no sound at all.. so I asked "well... do you have a name?" and he replied "Josh".. next thing I know we were driving in the underground parking of the hilton hotel and I lost service and my phone ended our short but now meaningful call. Now that you know how me and my husband met let me explain to you why he ran after me that day or why any man approaches a lady, he thinks she's hot! Out of all the dates me and him have been on and everytime he would come pick me up I would get endless amounts of compliments but do men really know what it takes for a woman to actually get ready? Ask me on wednesday if I would like to go out on saturday Perfect! in my mind that gives me 3 days to prepare.. and when I say prepare ladies you know what I mean. Shit! what am I gonna wear, how tall is he again? maybe I can wear heels, no.. play it safe and wear cute sandals, darn that dress only looks good with heels, maybe these jeans... ughhhh I shouldn't of ate that donut this morning, okay got it.. leggings, no he'll just stare at my ass all night. Crap Crap Crap! Well if I wear jeans I won't need to shave my legs... but what if things get frisky... ohh don't think like that you whore, woahhh okay i'll invite some friends over and they can help me decide. Being so stressed out planning your date in advance you now have that beautiful pimple that appeared the morning of your outing! Pimple on your face? welp, i'll have to wear the leggings then  :) Dinner's at 5, you shower at noon, decide to shave your legs.. maybe even your armpits got some attention, get out and lotion up with the best shit ever, now your body feels like you were born to boast naked everywhere but due to that time of the month we best put some clothes on! Thinkin... ohhh I will round brush my hair today so it will look big and volumptious, well after 30 minutes of fighting with the round brush and ending up with a knotted mess you decide to take a different approach and just straighten the damn mess you just created. So about an hour into your hair its finally done and lookin sexy as hell.. walk to the closet and get those smokin hott leggings with your favorite boots paired with a comfy sweater.. look in the mirror and decide what kind of face your going to put on tonight... maybe a smokey eye will do? Sure... nothing says seductive like two black buldging eyeballs staring right at you all night. Last but not least... how about some red lipstick, bottom lip perfect, top lip shit, it's a little crooked but he won't notice... ok, 5:15 hell yes, he's runnin a bit late and that gives you a chance to practice how to answer the door with the sexiest vibe you could possibly give off! Practice your butt swayin walk, after all you didn't put those leggings on for nothing! Knock Knock.. it's finally time, give that last minute mirror check.. gorgeous as hell, answer the door nice and slow and give him that ready look as he says "let's go we are running late" ahhhh typical man...
I got way to into that... and went a little off subject but my point here is we take pride in ourselves and it takes alot for us to get ready... so if you don't compliment a woman on the way she looks, don't you even expect a kiss from those lips that she spent 20 minutes trying to get perfect just for you!!! Anyways... my husband never had a problem with me getting ready before, he absolutely loved it, that I would get all glammed up even if it was a 20 minute trip to McDonald's, I didn't care, I wanted to look presentable. But now... all Hell breaks  loose as soon as I close that bathroom door!! ASHELY!! how long are you going to be in there? I have to poop... do you know we have to be there in 1 hour... don't spray to much perfume before I go in there... blah blah blah. Not to mention the nagging I get when I buy make up... now I do have a problem, I tend to buy shit I don't need... but I don't care because that's what makes me feel pretty!!! Guys go to bed, wake up and look exactly the same... girls go to bed and wake up like they had a fight with the devil and we all know who won... so men should thank god that we have shit to cover up our face! Sooo.... maybe we are both a bit crazy :) All I have to say is let me be me and I won't take my anger out on your Playstation, love you baby!! haha